Both PayPal and Worldpay can collect seller payments through a shared link without a custom checkout. For a UK merchant, choose by the payment methods your customers use, the actual online transaction category and the work needed after payment. A card-terminal rate is not a reliable price for an emailed payment link.
This comparison focuses on UK remote selling. Worldpay has several products and regional contracts; the example uses its UK Payment Links+ offer. It does not apply a UK rate to every Worldpay customer or treat PayPal wallet payments as identical to guest card payments.
Compare the current merchant products
PayPal's merchant Payment Links provide hosted checkout for products or services, shared by message, email or QR code. They are different from a personal request for money. Available methods depend on the merchant, country and checkout eligibility.
Worldpay Payment Links+ includes branded links, a hosted storefront, product catalogues and invoicing within Worldpay eCommerce. Merchants must apply and be approved. Do not assume Worldpay requires a developer or a separate ecommerce website for this route.
| Your selling requirement | What to evaluate |
|---|---|
| Customers want to use their PayPal balance/account | Eligible PayPal checkout and its commercial-payment rate |
| Customers mainly pay by card | Actual domestic, corporate, Amex and international card categories |
| Several products sold through social messages | Catalogue, quantities, order reference and fulfillment record |
| Existing Worldpay merchant relationship | Whether Payment Links+ is included in your specific contract |
| Files, client billing or other work after payment | Whether checkout alone is enough or a seller workflow is needed |
Worldpay also documents PayPal as a supported payment method in parts of its wider offering. That does not prove PayPal is enabled on every Payment Links+ account. Ask about the exact product and contract rather than treating the brands as mutually exclusive or universally combined.
A forty-order cost worksheet
Assume forty £100 orders in a month: thirty-two eligible standard Visa/Mastercard transactions and eight Amex or corporate-card transactions. This is a hypothetical order mix, not customer data.
Worldpay's UK page currently quotes 1.3% + £0.20 for Visa/Mastercard debit and credit cards and 2.9% + £0.20 for Amex and corporate cards on its pay-as-you-go offer. Other card fees vary and the application terms govern. With those assumptions:
- 32 × (£100 × 1.3% + £0.20) = £48.00.
- 8 × (£100 × 2.9% + £0.20) = £24.80.
- Illustrative processing total = £72.80 on £4,000 sales.
Do not automatically apply one PayPal rate to that same mix. PayPal's UK merchant fees include specific Payment Links rows in the Point of Sale section: PayPal Checkout, Venmo or PayPal Guest Checkout at 2.9% + £0.30; standard credit/debit cards, Apple Pay or other third-party wallets at 1.2% + £0.30; and Pay Later at 3.9% + £0.30. Confirm whether those rows govern your chosen product. Do not label every guest card payment as the lower-rate category. Eligibility, cross-border and currency charges can change the result.
For sensitivity only, forty £100 payments in the 2.9% + £0.30 category total £128; forty eligible payments in the 1.2% + £0.30 category total £60. These are two different payment-category scenarios, not two interchangeable prices for the same checkout. Have PayPal identify the applicable category before interpreting either as your forecast.
Use your own statement or written quote to fill in:
Keep refunds, disputes and any seller-platform subscription separate. A lower processing estimate is not proof that total operating costs are lower.
Price the handoff after a payment
For the same forty orders, suppose thirty are physical deliveries and ten are paid consultations. Before switching, assign each task:
| After-payment task | Owner to name before buying |
|---|---|
| Match payment to the customer's order | Checkout reference and order record |
| Send or schedule the purchased service | Shipping or booking system and staff member |
| Handle a partial refund | Payment operator plus order adjustment |
| Reconcile net settlement and fees | Merchant reporting and accounting process |
| Respond to a dispute | Seller with the relevant order and fulfillment evidence |
This is a purchase decision table, not a claim that either vendor lacks all those functions. Ask the supplier to show the exact workflow you intend to use. A successful checkout is not evidence that a parcel shipped or a consultation was booked.
Where PayRequest fits
If you need a collection workflow around an eligible PayPal Business account, review PayRequest payment links. A provider connection and seller tools solve different layers of the job: PayRequest does not become your Worldpay account or promise a Worldpay integration here.
If downloadable files are the product, review automatic digital-product delivery before choosing a payment-only workflow. For ordinary physical orders, keep shipping responsibility explicit.
PayRequest pricing lists Free with a 2% standard platform fee, Premium at €5/month and Business at €20/month with 0% standard platform fees while active. Provider fees and commission-payment exceptions are separate. Do not insert the Worldpay direct rate into a PayRequest-with-PayPal forecast.
Prepare one representative payment link with your eligible provider and verify the amount, currency, order information and customer checkout before sharing it publicly. Choose the smallest workflow that completes your selling job.
*Method: public UK product and fee information checked on 29 October 2026; original hypothetical cost and order-handoff worksheets. Prepared with AI assistance and editorial review. No checkout conversion test, savings guarantee or customer result is claimed.*
